An eight-year-old boy died after being hit by a speeding truck at Barasat on Sunday afternoon. Police said Hasanur Biswas, who was visiting a relative along with his parents to attend a wedding, was crossing Taki Road when the mishap occurred. The boy, a resident of Naihati, was taken to Barasat District Hospital, where he was declared dead. The driver fled leaving the truck behind.

Suresh Thakur, 47, and Barun Thakur, 29, were injured when their neighbour Laltu allegedly fired at them with an air gun outside their Harish Chatterjee Road houses on Sunday morning. Police said Laltu had asked for khaini from the two and attacked them when they refused. The two were taken to SSKM Hospital with leg and arm injuries. The police later found two crude bombs in Laltu’s house.

Thirty-one turtles were recovered from two reservoirs at a Jadavpur market on Sunday. Forest department officials and police took the turtles to the animal rescue centre in Salt Lake. The police said members of the market association, which had been taking care of the turtles for over 13 years, protested at first but later allowed officers to take the animals away.

A 24-year-old man attempted suicide by stabbing himself in the throat with a knife at Shyampukur on Sunday afternoon. Police said Chandan Mallik, a resident of Lalabagan and an employee of a security agency, had developed mental problems. “He would tell his wife and mother that he would sacrifice himself in the name of god. Mallik went to a roadside temple and stabbed himself with the knife. He was admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where his condition was stable.

Vicky Jaiswal and Choton Das, in their twenties, were seriously injured after some men hurled bombs at them while the two were having tea in a roadside stall at Panitanki in Khardah on Sunday afternoon. The youths, who are property brokers, were admitted to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with splinter injuries. Investigators said business rivalry could have led to the attack.

Police and civic officials will carry out a drive against plastic bags thinner than 30 microns in 19 markets on November 17 and 18. If buyers are caught with such bags, they will be fined Rs 50. If sellers are caught, they will be fined Rs 500, said municipal commissioner Arnab Roy.

The GD Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2009 was conferred on Manindra Agarwal, of the computer science and engineering department at IIT Kanpur, last week, for his contribution to computer science.